SEO Shallow Foundation Systems

DIVISION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1
Bearing Capacity
- shallow foundation systems
D. A. Cameron

Rock and Soil Mechanics 2006
TERMS
The foundation of a structure is the earth
upon which the structure is supported
structural loads are transferred to the soil
via the footing
Reinforced (?) concrete strip footings & pads
take column (point) loads & distributed
loading (line loads)

Foundation requirements
Capacity = ultimate
bearing capacity
q
u

Soil mass at point of
failing
SAFE bearing
capacity
q
safe

FoS applied to q
u
ALLOWABLE bearing
pressure

q
a

Allowable settlement
may dictate

1. Safe bearing capacity or strength
2. Allowable bearing pressure
Presumptive q
safe
values?
No WT within depth, D = B, footing breadth
Dense gravel > 600 kPa
Loose gravel < 200 kPa
Stiff clays 150 - 300 kPa
Soft clays < 75 kPa
Modes of Failure of Shallow
Foundations

General shear
Punching shear
Local shear

Fairly
incompressible soil

Soft, very
compressible soil

Intermediate soil
condition
Bearing Capacity Analysis
Solution is usually based on:
a) General bearing capacity failure
b) Strip footing - width, B, length L = ,
founded at depth, D
c) Soil - homogeneous & isotropic,
unit weight,
d) Soil Strength - parameters c' and |'
SOIL
Strain
S
t
r
e
s
s

SURFACE FOOTING, B x L =
q
average
= Q/B per m length
Soil strength,
c and |
Force, Q
B
Rigid-plastic
soil behaviour
Choice of Strengths
SAND
Clean sand
c = 0 = c'
|', , '
| not affected by
inundation
BUT lower q
u
!

CLAY
Saturated, NC
undrained loading?
|
u
= 0
usually more critical
drained loading?
c', |'
B

Q
The captured, driven soil wedge
Circular for |
u
= 0
MECHANISM
Simple upper bound for |
u
= 0 soils

Centre of
rotation?
B
Radius, B
q
u
Solution
Take moments about the centre
Disturbing moment = restoring moment
q
u
B(0.5B) = (c
u
tB)B
q
u
= (2t)c
u

q
u
= 6.3 c
u
Simple lower bound for |
u
= 0 soils
B
45
45
Active
wedge
Passive
wedge
o
Ha
o
Hp
K
a
= K
p
= 1
Solution
Shear stress
Active state Passive state
Principal stress
= o
Ha
o
Hp
q
u
c
u
0

q
u
= 4c
u
The Correct Answer
Lower bound estimate (safe)
q
u
= 4c
u
The correct answer:
q
u
= 5.14c
u
Upper bound estimate (unsafe)
q
u
= 6.3c
u

The Accepted Failure Mechanism
1. Active wedge under footing
wedge at (45 + |'/2)
2. Rotational zone of plasticity
(radial shear zone)
log spiral
shear stresses on either side of the radial
shear zone = fn(spiral)
3. Passive wedges to either side of footing
wedges at (45 - |'/2)
resist soil rotation
45 - |'/2
Mechanism
the same
both sides
Rotational or radial shear
zone soil plastic
Log spiral
A
P
45 + |'/2
Rotational or radial shear
zone soil is plastic
Log spiral

P
45 + |'/2
P
45 - |'/2

Log Spiral dictates change of shear in the
radial shear zone
|
| u
t
t
tan 2
2
1

= e
u
t
2
t
1
Normal forces offset by friction,
no moments about centre
Comment
Details of the geometry of the
failure mechanism are really only of
any practical purpose for
consideration of the influence of
adjacent or underground works, or
the influence of soil profile changes
N.B. | = 0 soils have smallest
mechanism
The General Bearing
Capacity Equation
Ultimate bearing capacity for a strip footing,
subjected to vertical load
other situations handled by empirical
expressions
q o c
u
u
N
2
B
N q N c
1 B
Q
q + +
'
=
=
Considers 3 cases:
1. Surface footing,
soil
, with cohesion, but no friction
2. Surface footing, soil friction and
soil

3. Burial (surcharge & extra shear resistance)

Contributions are simply summed
an approximation,
backed up by experience and experimentation

FORMULATION
Limit Equilibrium Analysis
Bearing Capacity Factors
N
c
, N
q
& N
are the bearing

capacity factors corresponding to:
1. Cohesion case
2. Surcharge or burial case
3. Self weight of soil case

N
c
, N
q
and N
are all functions of |'

The Bearing Capacity Factors, N
c
, N
q
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0 10 20 30 40 50
Angle of Friction (kPa)
B
e
a
r
i
n
g

C
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

F
a
c
t
o
r
N
c
N
q
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
B
e
a
r
i
n
g

C
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

F
a
c
t
o
r
N
c
N
q
5.14
1.0
NC clay,
saturated,
short term
loading
The Bearing Capacity Factor, N

0
50
100
150
200
250
0 10 20 30 40 50
B
e
a
r
i
n
g

C
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

F
a
c
t
o
r
,

N
rough
smooth
Hansen
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
B
e
a
r
i
n
g

C
a
p
a
c
i
t
y

F
a
c
t
o
r
,

N
rough
smooth
0.0
( ) ( )
|
.
|
\
|
+ +
'
=
q o c u
N
2
B
N q N c q
Cohesion term
Surface
surcharge term
Soil self-
weight term
The Bearing Capacity Equation
- for a long strip footing
Variations in the Bearing Capacity
Factors between methods
1) Hansen [or Brinch-Hansen] analyses
generally accepted as most accurate
2) Terzaghi, the pioneer, misconstrued N
c
3) Meyerhof the 2
nd
best of these 3
Effects of Soil Properties
Bearing capacity = fn(|', ', B, c' and q
o
)
|' has the greatest influence
Both the 2
nd
and 3
rd
terms in the equation
depend on '
if water is above the bottom of the footing,
the surcharge weight is also affected
THE SURCHARGE TERM
- most footings are buried

q
o
=
1
D
D

Effect of Footing Size
Last term with N
has B or footing breadth

Wider footing, greater bearing capacity
BUT for |' = 0 soil, B has little effect
N
= 0! for |' = 0
Factor of Safety, q
u
to q
safe
?
A Factor of Safety of 3?

o
q o c
safe
q
S of F
N B 5 . 0 1) (N q N c
q +
(
+ +
'
=
= [nett ultimate bearing capacity (FoS)] + surcharge
= [q
u nett
(FoS)] + q
o
The General Bearing Capacity Eqn.
Considers
soil rigidity, (r)
footing shape, (s)
depth of embedment, (d)
Inclined load, (i)
base inclination, (b)
Ground inclination, (g)
( ) ( )
|
.
|
\
|
+ +
'
=
q o q q q q q q c c c c c c c u
N
2
B
g b i d s r N q g b i d s r N c g b i d s r q
Note: shape factors not used with inclination factors?
Effect of depth, D (|
u
= 0)
D/B Brinch -
Hansen
0 5.14c
u
+ q
o

1 7.2c
u
+ q
o

8.4c
u
+ q
o

Effect of depth, D (|
u
= 0)
D = 0
q
u
surface
D = B
D >> B
1.4q
u
surface
1.63q
u
surface
'

The Influence of a WT
If z
w
within 1.5D, assume at underside
of footing and use ' in self weight term

Buoyancy if too high?

z
w
1
Footing Shape shape factors B=L
L/B 1 2 5
s
c
1.19 1.10 1.04
| = 0
s
q
1.00 1.00 1.00
s
0.6 0.8 0.92

s
c
1.61 1.31 1.12
| = 30
s
q
1.58 1.29 1.12
s
0.6 0.8 0.92

s
c
2.01 1.50 1.20
| = 45
s
q
2.00 1.50 1.20
s
0.6 0.8 0.92

B
reduced
= B'
Plan
l
Q
e
Eccentricity of Loading
e 2 B B B
effective
=
'
=
EXAMPLE 8.7
From Barnes, (changed slightly)
A long, reinforced concrete, retaining wall is to be founded at 1.5 m
depth below ground level in a clay with the water table at 1.5 m
below ground level. The width of the footing is 2.5 m and the base
is 1.5 m below ground level. The thickness of the footing is 0.5 m.
The top 1 m of excavation is to be backfilled.
A vertical line load of 90 kN/m is located 0.45 m off the centreline of
the footing.
If c' = 4 kPa, |' = 23 and = 22 kN/m
3
; c
u
= 40 kPa and |
u
= 0 ;
concrete
= 25 kN/m
3
and
backfill
= 21 kN/m
3
, then find the factor of
safety against bearing capacity failure for both short term and long
term conditions
DO NOT ignore depth factors
Problem from Notes
A column carries 900 kN.
The foundation soil is dry sand, 18 kN/m
3
, |' = 40.
A minimum factor of safety of 2.5 is required.

FIND the size of :
a) A square footing if it is placed at the ground surface
b) A rectangular surface footing L/B = 2
c) A square footing if it is placed 1 m below the surface.
d) A square footing, 1 m below the surface - the water
table is expected to rise to the underside of the
footing. Below the water table, the unit weight is 21
kN/m
3

ANSWER (a)
e = 0, so, q = 900/B
2
kPa
q
u req
= 2.5 x 900/B
2
= 2250/B
2

BUT for dry sand, AND a surface footing
q
u
= 0.5(s)BN
2250/B
2
= 0.5(s)18BN
250 = (s)B
3
N = 0.6 x 85.8 B
3

SOLVE: B = 1.69 m

ANSWER (c)
q = 900/B
2
kPa
q
u req
= 2.5 x 900/B
2
- s
q
d
q
q
o
= 2250/B
2
- 18s
q
d
q
BUT for dry sand, AND a square footing at 1 m,
q
u
= s
q
d
q
q
o
N
q
+ 0.5(s
)(d
)BN

2250/B
2
18(1.84)1.16 = 1.84 (1.16)(18)64.2 +
0.5(0.6)(1)18B(85.8)
2250/B
2
38.4 = 2466

+ 463.3B
0 = 0.206B
3
+ 1.11B
2
- 1
SOLVE: B = 0.88 m assumed B = 1 m for depth factors
ANSWER (b)
q = 900/B
2
kPa
q
u req
= 2.5 x 900/B
2
= 2250/B
2
- surface footing

BUT for dry sand, and L/B = 2,
q
u
= 0.5(s
)BN

2250/B
2
= 0.5(0.8)18B(85.8)
3.642 = B
3

SOLVE: B = 1.54 m
ANSWER (d)
q = 900/B
2
kPa
q
u req
= 2.5 x 900/B
2
- s
q
d
q
q
o
= 2250/B
2
- 18s
q
d
q
BUT for wet sand, AND a square footing at 1 m,
q
u
= s
q
d
q
q
o
N
q
+ 0.5(s
)(d
)'BN

2250/B
2
18(1.84)1.16 = 1.84 (1.16)(18)64.2 +
0.5(0.6)(1)(11.2)B(85.8)
2250/B
2
38.4 = 2466

+ 288.2B
0 = 0.128B
3
+ 1.11B
2
- 1
SOLVE: B = 0.90 m assumed B = 1 m for depth factors
Q
D
B
o Changed shear
mechanism
Shallower,
longer?
Inclined Loading
q
o
= 'D
c' , |' ,
Q/(BL) =q
u
/(coso)
Inclined Load correction factors
(Meyerhof: guide only use Hansen)
FACTOR DEPTH OF
FOOTING
INCLINATION OF LOAD FROM
VERTICAL

D
0 10 20 30
N

0 1.0 0.5 0.2 0
N

B 1.0 0.6 0.4 0.25
N
c

0 to B 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4

DEFINITION of u
n
for inclined loading

Inclination of Load
correction factors, i
c
, i
q
, i

B
L Q
PLAN
u
n
Q
B
ELEVATION
o
Inclined Loading
Has a tremendous influence
Cannot use shape factors (strip solution)
The solution is always for the VERTICAL
component only of the force, Q
Q = \[N
2
+ T
2
]

and q
u
= N/A
MUST design against sliding arising from
the HORIZONTAL component of force
i.e. T = N(tano)
CLASS EXAMPLE
A footing 2 m wide by 4 m long is to be placed on a
dense layer of sand, overlain by poorly compacted fill
(
fill
= 16 kN/m
3
) to a depth of 2 m. The sand has the
properties c' = 0 kPa, |' = 38 and = 20 kN/m
3
.
There is no water table near the footing.
Check the ultimate bearing capacity of the footing for
a vertical central load
a central load inclined at 10 to the vertical (in plan,
the load is parallel to the short side or breadth, B, of
the footing)
Non-Homogeneous Soil
- soil profiles

Approximations can apply, SO LONG AS the
general mechanism of instability remains

NOT THE CASE for very soft clay, in
thin layer, over hard soil
Toothpaste tube?
NOR strong thin layer over weak layer
Punching shear
Non-Homogeneous Soil?
Stronger layer
Weaker Layer
2
1

Load spreading
technique
Load, Q
Footing, B x L
Depth to layer, D
L
New footing area
(B+D
L
)(L+D
L
)
Pressure, q
L
= Q/area
Check q
a2

Ensure lower layer not
overstressed by q
L
- reduce q
a
as required
Ignore lower layer
and check surface q
a
Example
Returning to the previous question, had
the footing been a surface footing and
the poorly compacted fill had the
properties c' = 5 kPa, |' = 25, compute
the ultimate bearing capacity under
vertical loading .
Alternative treatment if |
u
= 0 soils
Layer 1,
c
u1
Layer 2 ,
c
u2
Centre of
rotation?
B
Radius, B?
Other Factors
a) Adjacent footings suitably spaced
to reduce interaction (refer to failure
mechanisms)
b) Rate of loading appropriate
strength parameters?
c) Inclined slopes adjacent to footings
influence on slope stability?
SUMMARY
Bearing capacity is determined by limit
equilibrium methods
Complexity requires semi-empirical
solutions
Endnote: some new developments will
improve these methods

GROUND COVERED
1) types of failure
2) general bearing capacity analysis
3) correction factors for depth,
shape, inclination
4) influence of eccentric load
5) dealing with soil profiles
BEARING CAPACITY ON ROCKS
Rock can be stronger than a concrete footing
BUT consideration of rock mass strength may
be necessary
closed joints frequently spaced, can treat as
Bell-Terzaghi bearing problem
ALSO defects and their orientation may impact
upon performance
Rock Mass??
Close, but open vertical joints
B
S
Unconfined compressive
strength of rock rules!
Rock Mass??
Widely spaced joints
B
S
Tension splitting of rock slab?
Bishnois theoretical solution
Refer: Sowers G F, Introductory Soil Mechanics
and Foundations
Other Considerations
Rigid
Weak
Flexural failure
Punching failure
H
Weak
Rigid, but thinner
H
KEY POINT
Mechanisms of bearing capacity
failure of rock masses are usually
quite different from soil

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DIVISION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1

are the bearing

are all functions of |'

has B or footing breadth

0.6 0.8 0.92

0.6 0.8 0.92

0.6 0.8 0.92

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